https://supportny.org
Survivor Support and Transformative Justice CollectiveFri, 07 Oct 2016 03:33:19 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pnghttps://supportny.org
Passing the work onhttps://supportny.org/2016/01/21/passing-the-work-on/
https://supportny.org/2016/01/21/passing-the-work-on/#respondThu, 21 Jan 2016 01:40:43 +0000http://supportny.org/?p=590]]>In 2016, Support New York will be winding down as a collective after more than a decade. We will periodically check the email to potentially help find suitable medical or counseling resources, reading & resource lists, explore accountability options with the perpetuator(s). In addition to providing our accountability curriculum to many Transformative Justice organizations, we have occasionally mentored other groups doing processes and could do so on a case-by-case basis in the future. All of the resources we use in our curriculum we will post online for the public as well as a PDF of the full curriculum once it is available. We have a network of people we maintain contact with to collaborate on various projects including helping with safer space teams at special events so you may see us around from time to time. <hand waving emoji>]]>https://supportny.org/2016/01/21/passing-the-work-on/feed/0supportnewyorkkittenWhat science has to say about healthy accountability and survivor supporthttps://supportny.org/2014/08/21/what-science-has-to-say/
https://supportny.org/2014/08/21/what-science-has-to-say/#respondThu, 21 Aug 2014 21:10:07 +0000http://supportny.org/?p=537]]>This post is one Support NY member’s attempt at gleaning useful insight from medical studies. My under 500-word message for readers with short attention spans is that survivor support and community accountability are two sides of the same coin, both necessary to sustain social movements. For support and accountability to thrive, on micro and macro levels, it is in everyone’s best interest to cultivate personal and social optimism, realistic goal-setting and competent communication skills. This is a process that has a promising history in radical communities, all of us play a role in evolving, and it affects our minds, bodies and social interactions just as inter-personal abuse affects all three of these realms. What this means:

-> For those seeking support in the aftermath of oppression, abuse or assault:Know that you are already in a process of resilience and personal growth through what’s called transformational coping. You can cultivate this by engaging with people who support you and facing conflictual or negative experiences head-on trusting in your ability to overcome with ease with the choices you make. While certain factors were outside of your control, know that these are statistically unlikely to repeat, and limited in their scope or effects.

-> For those of us who have caused harm or perpetuated cycles of abuse directly with our behavior:To transform yourself, engage with people who can support (not enable) you, make realistic plans for how you are going to repair the harm as much as possible and prevent similar behaviors, then (this is the important part) follow-though with these plans by developing whatever skills are necessary. Know that you can bring about a positive outcome by exercising choice in how you respond to being called out.

-> For social movements or those peripherally affected:Cultivating resilience as a community or movement strengthens and sustains movements in the long-term. Do this by actively engaging with conflict and harm, trusting that a positive outcome is possible and creating a culture that engages social networks and ties with a keen analysis of oppression and power dynamics.

I am a science nerd, so I wouldn’t make such sweeping statements if they were not based on empirical and measurable evidence subject to principles of reasoning. Sure, each situation is unique, but I believe there are a few important lessons scientific studies teach about how to be supportive and accountable because there are patterns to the way our brains operate. Read on if you want to follow my line of reasoning.

Disclaimer: I am not a psychologist and I am not using psychological terms or studies to pathologize the common everyday experiences of trauma, abuse and assault. This is more about applying scientific evidence to these experiences regardless of how interested you are in science.

There is one basic psychological concept in post-trauma psychology that will lay the foundation and that is the ideal of resilience. Individuals (and movements) demonstrate resilience when they rise above difficulties with strength and grace. In science, resilience is not a rare ability; it is more of a process engaged in by the average individual and it can be learned and developed.

Before we go into the things individuals can do to promote resilience, it is notable that the primary factor in resilience is having positive relationships with mutual, reciprocal support and caring. This is the single most critical means of handling both ordinary and extraordinary levels of stress, which underscores the importance of the community response to inter-personal violence both in survivor support and perpetuator accountability.Aside from social ties, studies show there are 4 main factors which develop and sustain a person`s resilience:[1] Since these are tasks that every person within a community regardless of their survivor and/or perpetuator status can assist with by developing, let’s expand on them.

1. The ability to make realistic plans and being capable of taking the steps necessary to follow through with them

If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably familiar with the process of setting goals and following through with them in your social justice work so we won’t cover the basics. One factor in applying goal-setting to the aftermath of trauma or abuse is that the goals of the survivor and the perpetuator are almost always different. It is for this reason that the accountability process and the goals of such can or even should be handled separately (at a different, time, space, and probably even involve different members of the community) than the survivor support goals. In terms of follow-through, know that tasks or goals to address inter-personal abuse often take months or years to complete. Many social justice movements recognize that the struggle is long-term and a certain amount of persistence or longevity is important. Transformative justice is no different, and creating alternative justice structures is worth it.

2. A positive self-concept and confidence in one’s strengths and abilities

‘Positive’ here relates to dispositional optimism, or envisioning the best possible outcome from a given situation. Optimism lends itself to stress-hardiness, and transformational coping [2] where people turn stressful experiences into healthy opportunities for growth, greater understanding and health.[3][4] Even the Mayo clinic recommends optimism as an antidote to post-traumatic stress, and emphasize that optimism is can be cultivated by surrounding yourself with positive people, identifying areas of change, practice positive self-talk, being open to humor, checking yourself and following a healthy lifestyle.

“Optimists emerge from difficult circumstances with less distress than do pessimists.” due to …“facing problems head-on, taking active and constructive steps to solve their problems; pessimists are more likely to abandon their effort to attain their goals.”[29] Similarly, beliefs about our capabilities to execute the courses of actions required to manage prospective situations highly influence the situations we seek out and the goals we set [5]. All of that is to say that if we have confidence in our personal and collective abilities to change for the better, the bigger our goals can and will be. On the social level, this means we need to give each other the benefit of the doubt (until there is no longer reason to doubt) and believe in our abilities to transform the circumstances that enabled the abuse and prevent a future occurrence.

3. Communication and problem-solving skills

If you are reading this blog, you are also probably aware of and see the benefit of healthier communication styles and conflict resolution strategies. In applying these to the aftermath or trauma, what is called non-violent communication (NVC) can provide some useful suggestions for both preventing and addressing issues within relationships (either directly or through intermediaries in an accountability process).

4. The ability to manage strong impulses and feelings

Impulses are often controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, or what is commonly called by the fight or flight response. Post-traumatic stress is when the sympathetic nervous system continues to be activated even once the threat is no longer immediate. This is a healthy response in situations of re-occurring trauma such as relationship violence or abuse until one can achieve safety outside of the warzone or relationship. Current models expand this to include freeze and appease and two additional impulses. Each person typically has one default mode, or an impulse that has proven helpful to them in the past that they tend towards for that reason. This is largely unconscious, but our conscious minds can be engaged to override this in most if not all situations. Even though your default mechanism has prove useful in the past, that doesn’t mean it is going to be the best option for every future situation. Learning somatic techniques can aid in making choices in activating situations. Resilient individuals may even be able to restrict sympathetic activation to only particularly dangerous or stressful situations [6]. It is not that resilient people don’t experience negative emotions, but that they effectively balance negative emotions with positive ones, such as ones discussed alongside optimism.

To be clear, the goal is not to suppress or override strong impulses and feelings that are both normal and healthy. Both personally and for social movement, fighting back might be the best option in some cases. Frantz Fanon recognized the role fighting back or transformational coping plays in revolutionary movements and struggles for justice. He says that militancy is not just tactically necessary — its dual objective is to transform people and “fundamentally alter” their being by emboldening them, removing their passivity and ridding them of “the core of despair.”[7]

A bunch of us will be marching as allies with the Audre Lorde Project for NYC’s Trans Day of Action this Friday, come out and join us! We’ll be marching to honor those who have come before us in the fight to end violence against trans and gender non-conforming people of color, and in solidarity with movements working to end violence against all oppressed people. See their Facebook event for more details, and also their Points of Unity!

From the event page:

“On Friday, June 27, 2014, TGNC (Trans and Gender Non-Conforming) People of Color (POC) and allies will take the streets of New York City once again to demand justice and let the world know that the Stonewall Rebellion is not over and we will continue fighting for justice and raising our voices until we are heard.

This year we are excited to celebrate a decade of resistance, resilience and revolution as we call for social and economic justice, and raise awareness of the many pressing issues TGNC POC face. On this day, the 45th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion, we will lift up and celebrate the legacy of the amazing TGNC POC warriors that have paved the way for our movements today. We will also honor and continue the struggle for justice, liberation, and recognition for all oppressed people across the globe.

We as TGNC People of Color (POC), recognize the importance of working together alongside other movements to create the world we want to see. We live in a time when oppressed peoples including people of color, people who are currently and formerly incarcerated, immigrants, youth and elders, people with disabilities, women, TGNC people, and poor people are underserved, face higher levels of discrimination, heightened surveillance and experience increased violence at the hands of the state. Let’s come together to let the world know that TGNC rights will not be undermined and we will not be silenced!”

]]>https://supportny.org/2014/06/24/support-new-york-endorses-trans-day-of-action-2014/feed/0supportnewyorkTDOA2014Support New York Tabling at Queer Punk Pride Show this Fridayhttps://supportny.org/2014/06/03/support-new-york-tabling-at-queer-punk-pride-show-this-friday/
https://supportny.org/2014/06/03/support-new-york-tabling-at-queer-punk-pride-show-this-friday/#respondTue, 03 Jun 2014 14:53:30 +0000http://supportny.org/?p=475]]>Come check out our table at the Queer Punk Pride show, this Friday June 6th at Silent Barn in Brooklyn! 8pm, $5-$10 sliding scale, all ages. There will also be a raffle for the Queer Detainee Empowerment Project!

]]>https://supportny.org/2014/06/03/support-new-york-tabling-at-queer-punk-pride-show-this-friday/feed/0supportnewyorkImageSome readings for the week.https://supportny.org/2014/05/25/some-readings-for-the-week/
https://supportny.org/2014/05/25/some-readings-for-the-week/#respondSun, 25 May 2014 19:12:12 +0000http://supportny.org/?p=382]]>Hey Internet. Collective Member Colin here. SNY blog’s been pretty inactive for a while, but that’s life right? We still exist! We just neglected the internet for a while. We are punks. Please, forgive us.

I’m going to try and make a habit of posting a couple of links every Sunday or Monday. I’ll just try to aggregate links from the previous week that seem like they might be of interest to people who are interested in Support New York.

This week, I’ve got three readings pertaining to the mass murder committed by Elliott Rodgers. I was working a brunch shift at a restaurant while it was happening, so I wasn’t following the news live, but began to catch up on it last night after work and this morning.

I’m not sure what I can say about this tragedy and the ensuing media spectacle, that hasn’t already been said, and better, by others, but I will say this: I have spent the entirety of my life as a man, sometimes by coercion, lately by choice. I have spent the better part of my adult life working to dismantle and dissect the toxic elements of masculinity within myself, to varying degrees of success, and I’ve dedicated my time for the past ten years to trying to help others do the same. Doing work around sexual assault can be so grim, but there have been heartening moments too. Over the past ten years it feels like I’ve watched the framework through which many people view consent and assault shift incrementally for the better. I feel like even within the anarchist/punk milieu the notion of safer spaces or community accountability were side-eyed as wing nut-ish, fringe beliefs within the fringe. And that’s not the case anymore! And that is wonderful. That said, there is still SO MUCH work to do. The unhealthy way gendered behavior is structured in our fucked up culture makes events like yesterday’s feel almost inevitable and I think it’s important that we remember that Elliott Rodgers’s actions fit within a larger framework of structural violence and devaluation of women’s humanity. Rodgers is fully responsible for his actions, this is not about shifting blame, but let’s not forget the cultural forces that aided and abetted him.

So here are a few links. It goes without saying, but: trigger warning for heinous sexualized violence and reminders of the awful things humans are capable of.

If you’d like to see an article you read or written in the weekly link drop, feel free to email supportnewyork at gmail with the subject line “ATTN: COLIN links for the blog” and I will make sure to read whatever is sent in.

]]>https://supportny.org/2014/05/25/some-readings-for-the-week/feed/0supportnewyorkJoin Us to Discuss Safer Spaces at Silent Barn Tuesday at 8PMhttps://supportny.org/2013/10/20/safer-spaces-at-silent-barn/
https://supportny.org/2013/10/20/safer-spaces-at-silent-barn/#commentsSun, 20 Oct 2013 01:45:36 +0000http://supportny.org/?p=439]]>What is a safer space? How can we create inclusive spaces that promote a culture of respect and accountability? How do safer space policies work; how are they negotiated; how are they implemented? What are the benefits of implementing a safer space policy? What are the possible disadvantages or fallouts? Can any space truly be considered “safer”?

Silent Barn
603 Bushwick Ave
J M Z to Myrtle/Bway
L to Jefferson
No BYOB, no drinking in the yard
No mean players

]]>https://supportny.org/2013/10/20/safer-spaces-at-silent-barn/feed/2supportnewyorksilent-barnSNY in Crimethinc podcast on Prison Abolition & Community Accountabilityhttps://supportny.org/2013/08/25/crimethinc-podcast-on-prison-abolition-and-community-accountability/
https://supportny.org/2013/08/25/crimethinc-podcast-on-prison-abolition-and-community-accountability/#respondSun, 25 Aug 2013 01:12:32 +0000http://supportny.org/?p=432]]>We are happy to announce that Kat and Colin of SNY were interviewed for Crimethinc’s Ex-Worker podcast! To conclude their series focusing on prisons and police, this episode looks into strategies to dismantle the prison industrial complex and to hold each other accountable without the state. Our hosts interview members of Critical Resistance and Support New York, discuss a new collection of writings from political prisoner Russell Maroon Shoats, respond to listener feedback and anarchist perspectives on gun control, and share a letter from revolutionary Tom Manning about his transfer from solitary confinement⎯not to mention news, event announcements, Contradictionary terms, and more.

We highly recommend listening to the whole thing but if you can’t wait to hear what we have to say, skip to minute 43.

]]>https://supportny.org/2013/08/25/crimethinc-podcast-on-prison-abolition-and-community-accountability/feed/0supportnewyorkthe-exworkerCheck Out Our Panel at the Left Forum this Weekendhttps://supportny.org/2013/06/05/left-forum-2013/
https://supportny.org/2013/06/05/left-forum-2013/#respondWed, 05 Jun 2013 01:22:24 +0000http://supportny.org/?p=435]]>This Sunday, June 9th at 10AM, one of our collective members will be on a panel entitled, “Addressing Sexual Violence While Opposing the Prison Industrial Complex” at the Left Forum.

This panel is bringing together a group of thought leaders on restorative justice practices, community response to sexual violence, why burnout happens in radical response projects, and how we can look for ways to end both sexual violence and the prison industrial complex. Moderated by Katy Otto, a consultant with over a decade of experience in violence prevention, women’s issues, youth development, survivor solidarity, and the arts who co-founded the national Visions in Feminism conference, this panel will feature:

Layne Mullett & Leon Tyer: members of Decarcerate PA, a grassroots campaign working to end mass incarceration in Pennsylvania. Decarcerate PA demands that PA stop building prisons, reduce the prison population, and reinvest money in our communities.

Quentin Walcott: Co-Executive Director of CONNECT NYC, which is pushing communities to redefine manhood and is building a society that embraces equality, mutuality and rejects violence in communities as the status quo. An anti-violence activist and educator, he has spent the last 18 years addressing a critical part of the equation to stopping violence against women: men. Quentin has developed and launched some of New York City’s only programs aimed at transforming bystanders, men and boys, and even batterers into allies and activists against all forms of violence.

and SNY’s very own Kat Randolph!

]]>https://supportny.org/2013/06/05/left-forum-2013/feed/0supportnewyorkleft-forum2013Free Marissa Alexanderhttps://supportny.org/2012/09/29/free-marissa-alexander/
https://supportny.org/2012/09/29/free-marissa-alexander/#respondSat, 29 Sep 2012 19:01:44 +0000http://supportny.org/?p=352]]>Marissa Alexander is facing 20 years in prison for firing a gunshot into her ceiling to scare off her abusive husband.

]]>https://supportny.org/2012/09/29/free-marissa-alexander/feed/0supportnewyorkcervantes-freemarissaCindy Crabb Interviewed Us for Maximum Rock & Rollhttps://supportny.org/2012/09/15/mrr-interview/
https://supportny.org/2012/09/15/mrr-interview/#respondSat, 15 Sep 2012 20:45:20 +0000http://supportny.org/?p=486]]>MRR #352, September 2012 — Hafiz of Singaporean punkers VAARALLINEN talks to us about punk life and projects in Southeast Asia, Jaaka from punk band and family LUTA ARMADA discusses São Paulo punk and their rendition of raw punk, and we have the second part of the Noise-Core Roundtable Japanese punk symposium, featuring members of CONTROL, PEOPLE and STAGNATION, followed by an extensive current interview with Japanese noise-core punks STAGNATION.

Next, we catch up with Minneapolis pop punkers FROZEN TEENS, the DIPERS from NYC discuss the Yankees, among other things, and Bay Area queer punks ALABASTER CHOAD chat about their weirdo noisy perv punk. We find out what Chicago punks GRITOS DE RESISTENCIA have to say about punk and politics, and we talk to NYC’s newest old school ’80s hardcore band BRAIN SLUG, Swedish D-beat ragers KVOTERINGEN, and Seattle melodic crust punx KOHOSH.

We’ve also got a feature on the Support New York collective and a special piece on the crossover/thrash metal book Murder in the Front Row; never forgetting your usual array of favorite columnists, zine reviews and the most extensive punk record review section in the world!